Ray Tracing Element for Cell/B.E.™

Abstract

Using IBM 90 nm technology we synthesised a complete ray tracing element. The unit significantly accelerates the one task common for all ray tracers, finding the closest intersection. To support any algorithm that benefits from this sampling method we propose separated shading and traversal. The design is evaluated within context of Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.), utilizing existing SIMD processors for shading.